


Caesura | Luke Hemmings

by fatecanberewritten



Series: STR [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-16 05:12:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8088622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatecanberewritten/pseuds/fatecanberewritten
Summary: "You're the pauses in my poetry // baby girl."





	1. Chapter 1

**_Memories were never new to me_**  

**_My mother praised me for that trait._ **

**_My mind was like a master key_ **

**_To remember was to open the gate._ **

**_d.e._ **

 

 **Sydney, Australia**  

The summer of 2006 was the driest Luke had ever seen. It seemed to be one of those cliches you hear about from places like Arizona, but here he was in Sydney, watching as a raw egg began to cook on the hood of his dad's car. "Are you _seeing_ this?" Jack exclaimed excitedly, aggressively tapping his little brother's shoulder.

Luke had seen it, but after the hundreds and hundreds of times of hearing Jack tells this story, exaggerating every detail, Luke couldn't remember now if it actually _had_ begun to cook. Though this was the reasoning he gives for remembering December twenty-eighth, it wasn't technically true. 'Cooking' an egg on their dad's truck was a huge milestone for Jack (and he always likes to remind Ben that he hadn't been there to see it), but Luke doesn't remember who had come up with the idea. He doesn't remember the egg ever being cracked. He doesn't remember the color of his dad's truck (that was later sold to their cousin, who was never told the egg story). And he, unlike Jack, didn't even remember the egg cooking (though he tells his brother that he did, letting him keep his pride). All he remembers of his brother's story is the misshapen egg yoke, slowly dripping down the slant of the hood, thinking, _Dad's gonna kill us if he finds out._

That's not why Luke remembered December twenty-eighth. 

Ten-year-old Luke looked up as he heard a car slowing to a stop, shifting into park, and cutting the ignition. Jack was too preoccupied with his egg.  

Out of the house to his right came the Hemmings' next door neighbor, young, but recently engaged Mr. Jensen. As he happily approached the Camry at his curbside, he was saying something that Luke couldn't quite hear over the sprinkler running behind him. Some sort of name. Thea, maybe. Maria. A woman stepped out of the car, short, thin, with black hair and bright blue eyes, closing the door without looking back, stepping forward to embrace her fiancé. In two years or so, those memories would fade from Luke's memory completely. That had been the first time he had seen Maria and Hank Jensen together. But that hadn't been why he had remembered December twenty-eighth, either. 

Distracted by the happy couple, Luke hadn't even noticed there was someone else until he heard a second car door shut. A young girl, no older than Luke himself, stepped out from behind the car, her black, wavy hair whipping in front of her face in a way that Luke knew annoyed her. With one hand, she batted the stray hairs away. A seemingly heavy backpack was weighing down on her left shoulder, causing her to walk slightly lopsided. The blue flip-flops she wore slapped loudly against the black concrete as she made her way, slightly disgusted, towards her mother and her fiancé. The girl was tall, unlike her mother, with skin maybe three shades darker; but her eyes were the same bright blue.  

From somewhere within the house, Luke's mother was calling for her two youngest sons. Jack was preoccupied with the egg that he swore was cooking. Hank and Maria Jensen were caught up in their conversation, acting as if they _hadn't_ seen each other the night prior. Luke was staring at the girl he proclaimed to be the prettiest in town, and for the first time, her bright blue eyes shifted to connect with his. And she smiled.  

That's why Luke remembered December twenty-eighth of the blazing summer of 2006. Not because of Jack's stupid egg story.  

Because that day, Luke met Scarlett Gray.  


	2. Chapter 2

  ** _You don't know the weight_**

**_Of a moment_ **

**_Until it is too late_ **

**_To own it._ **

**_d.e._ **

 

 **Sydney, Australia**  

Four years later, Luke stood in that same driveway - no egg cooking, no Jack planning how he could gloat to their eldest brother, and no distracted, awkward, ten year old Luke gaping at his new neighbor. He was in high school now, and for the first time in a while, he had people he could consider friends. 

"Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Hood!" Luke called to the driver of the minivan parked on the curb of his house. He walked to his front door, feeling cooler than he ever had before. He had _friends_ , of whom he was going to start a  _band_ with.   ** _  
_**

 "Of course, dear!" called Calum's mum, before she spoke to her son about when she would be back to pick them up. Calum, the soccer player with a knack for writing songs, waved his mother off, embarrassed. Mrs. Hood drove away.

Luke, with his new friends Michael and Calum, made his way up the slight incline of his driveway. His mother, a math teacher, wasn't home yet, but would be soon.

 _"Baloo!"_ said the distressed voice of a girl, a voice that caused Luke's stomach to flip. He looked over in time to see a large, familiar, bear-like dog bounding towards the three of them. Behind him, he hear Michael swear, and Calum excitedly gasp. His face brightening, Luke knelt to meet to friendly neighborhood dog that he knew well. 

 "Hey Baloo!" Luke said to the giant dog, petting him happily.

"Sorry about that!" exclaimed Scarlett Gray, running up to the group of boys, in the middle of which stood her overly excited dog. "I swear, he can open doors with his nose," she further explained. Her comment wasn't exactly funny, but Luke laughed anyway. Calum and Michael exchanged a look. 

"That's alright," he assured, looking up at his neighbor. A second later, he was tongue-tied, as he always seemed to be around Scarlett Gray. He couldn't help it - she was breathtaking. Today, the fourteen-year-old had her hair braided back, leaving her radiant face in full exposure. She wore light makeup, complimenting her bright blue eyes perfectly. 

"It's Luke, right?" she asked, her voice like honey. Dumbfounded, the boy nodded. Calum had to hold back his laughter at the awkward situation. Scarlett smiled at him, not noticing Calum. "Thank you, Luke." She proceeded to hook her fingers around her dog's collar, towing him back to her house. Luke stared after her, mouth slightly agape. 

Years later, Luke would look back at this moment, and cringe like nothing else.     

"Does that answer your question?" Luke heard Calum say to Michael. He stood and turned towards them, wondering what they were talking about. In response to Calum, Michael shrugged shyly, looking towards his feet. Luke liked to consider he and Michael to be friends (and the fact that Michael was willingly here proved that to be true), but ever since Luke and Michael had met not too long ago, he had gotten the feeling that Michael didn't like him.  

Catching on to Luke's confusion, and being the bridge between friendships that he is, Calum translated, "He thought you had a thing for Tahlia, but, seeing the way you just ogled at your neighbor, it's kinda clear that you don't."  

Luke quickly looked over his shoulder to see if Scarlett had been in earshot of what Calum had just said, but by then, she had already disappeared back inside her house. He turned back towards him. "I did not _ogle_ at her," he told them quietly, defensively. (His argument was useless, as he would later reflect on. He was, beyond reasonable doubt, ogling at Scarlett Gray that day, as he would countless other times).  

Both Calum and Michael broke out in laughter. "Whatever you say, man," said Michael, suddenly more talkative, friendly - reassured.  

Not long after, the three of them sat in Luke's room in one of the most pivotal moments of their entire careers, in their entire lives. For the first time, Luke strumming on his guitar Michael making a beat on his cluttered desk, the three of them made music together. They were unnamed, unorganized, and unaware of the importance of this moment, but they didn't care. They were doing what they loved, and they were damn good at it.  

In the house next door, Scarlett Gray stayed completely still in her empty house, listening in as closely as she could to the music she heard, as she would grow to do each time she heard even a strum of a guitar from the house next to hers. That day, 5 Seconds of Summer had made their first fan.  


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Rape Mention

**_He was happier than he'd ever been,_ **

**_Contently oblivious._ **

**_She'd hold her breath and count to ten,_ **

**_And fade into oblivion._**

**_d.e._**  
  


**Sydney Australia**

Luke didn't see much of Scarlett Gray after that day, but as time went on, it didn't seem to matter to him. In his high school career, not only did Luke have friends, but he was able to say that he was in a band (though, besides a few videos online, the newly named band had not preformed anywhere besides Luke's garage). 5 Seconds of Summer had written enough songs, in Luke's opinion, to create their first EP, but Michael, Calum, and new drummer, Ashton, were hesitant, thinking they could write better songs. Outnumbered, the band kept working at it. 

Socially, Luke had flourished since his Freshmen year. He had grown at least four inches, and had finally hit puberty. That, along with the fact that Luke hardly ever saw the one person that made him act like a puppy in love (Scarlett was in more advanced classes than Luke) helped Luke to open up, and become much more confident. He had even gotten a piercing in his bottom lip (Calum had gotten one with him, but let it close up not two day after he had gotten it). Luke had even become better with girls - in fact, he had two long term girlfriends (up to six months) and five or six short-lived relationships. He had convinced himself that he was now too good for his prude, top-of-their-class neighbor that he had for so long been in love with.

Scarlett, on the other hand, has lived a lifetime in less than four years (one that she wouldn't wish upon anyone). Not long after hearing Luke and his band for the first time, Scarlett's cousin, Shelly, who had been more of an older sister to her all her life, had been raped and killed. For months, even years following, Scarlett went to therapy, trying to deal with this traumatic experience. The only good thing to come from this was a new friend of hers, Charli, who witnessed the incident and help to put away the bastard who did it. Through this friend, Scarlett finally found a place where she belonged, in a small group of damaged individuals who supported one another. Charli Sparks and Evie Ray had become her best friends, and through them she had begun to feel more and more like herself. Until her father decided to move a thousand away and completely cut her out of his life.

Scarlett had always been a daddy's girl, even through her parents' divorce. She had lived with her mum, yes, but she would always go to her aba for comfort, or to talk about what was bothering her. Now, that option was unavailable. Last she had heard, he was was in Adelaide with a girlfriend that she would never know the name of. Apparently, her father didn't care as much about her as she for him.

And through it all, through all this hardship, Scarlett would stay up; after her little brother next door fell asleep; after her mum and stepdad turned off the television and retired to their bedroom downstairs; after her neighbor thought that the world was asleep, and gently strummed his guitar. Scarlett didn't know Luke well at all, but his voice had been what had gotten her through so many of the difficulties she had experienced. 

The day Luke moved out, just before his senior year, it was pouring down rain.

Michael, now Luke's best friend, had gotten in a horrible fight with his parents, so bad that, just last week, he had shown up at Luke's doorstep, asking if he could stay with him. He hadn't spoken to his parents since. It just so happened that the last of Ashton's roommates had moved out, so he had invited Michael to live with him. With two extra rooms in Ashton's house, Luke and Calum had the idea to move in as well, and after a lot of convincing, their parents finally agreed.

That rainy Sunday, as Luke moved his things out to Ashton's car, there sat Scarlett Gray in her window, knees pressed against her chest as gentle tears fell down her cheeks, absentmindedly watching her neighbor. She had gotten in contact with her father today, but it had only ended in a bigger fight than the last time. Now, she thought of the sleepless night ahead of her, especially without the therapeutic melodies Luke unknowingly provided her with.

Down below, in the rain, Luke looked up the the windows of the white house next to his, hoping, yet afraid to find exactly what he found. It had been the first time in a long time that he had even seen Scarlett, and seeing her the way she was now, staring down at Luke with tears in her eyes, Luke felt ten years old again. He stopped in practically the exact place he had stood almost eight years ago, when he had first met Scarlett Gray. All the feelings he had attempted to push back came flooding back in, and for a moment, he was terrified that he would never see her again, just as she was terrified she would never see him again.

It was just the beginning.  


	4. Chapter 4

**_It_ _never struck me that  
_ **

**_One word_ **

**_Could mean two_ **

**_Very different things._ **

**_d.e._  
**

 

**Sydney, Australia**

It wasn't until their senior year that Scarlett and Luke had a class together: Music Appreciation. It was a class that the two of them would thrive in (in fact, throughout the year, the two would compete for the top of their class, a feeling Scarlett was familiar with, but was completely new to Luke). Her interest in the study stemmed from her father's failed music career, and her stepfather's successful one, Luke's stemming from his hopeful one.

Luke was beyond excited for the course on the first day, so excited, in fact, that he cut his lunch short, and went to his fifth period Music Appreciation class a good five minutes before needed. His excitement lasted until a minute before class was to start, when in walked a shy girl with bright blue eyes. At the sight of Scarlett Gray, it felt to Luke as if a confetti cannon had gone off in his stomach. He immediately looked down at his desk, sitting up straighter, feeling very, very nervous for the first time in a while. So much for thinking his feelings had gone away.

Scarlett sat on the side of the room opposite of Luke, getting an odd vibe from him. That didn't stop her from glancing over at him curiously. She had gone over a month without hearing the soothing melodies Luke provided her with, and she (unlike Luke) was excited to have this class with him. She had formed an emotional attachment to him, though it was nothing at all like Luke's for her.

The bell screeched, louder than they had remembered, quieting a class filled with people Scarlett had never had classes with. That's what she had always hated about her advanced classes - they had isolated her from the majority of the school. "Good afternoon, class!" chirped the small, excited young female teacher. From what Scarlett had heard, this was her first year teaching - ever. "I'm Ms. Hesse, and first things first, let's get you guys in your proper seats!"

 _It was alphabetically_ , noted Luke. Kimberly Andon, Adam Besancon, Avery Biggs, Zaria Billigmeier, Joy Buschini, and Tyson Casto made up the first row, and as Ms. Hesse continued, Luke waited anxiously, praying to God that there was someone between he and Scarlett. 

Ari Crothers. Maggie Crothers. Adrian Duvivier. Spencer Gaziano. Scarlett Gray. Luke watched as she quietly made her way to her seat, a row in from the window. There was only one seat next to her, and if there was someone between the two of them, the Luke would be safely seated on the other side of the room (where he could admire her from afar).

"Luke Hemmings." His heart sunk as he heard his name, and saw Ms. Hesse's small finger pointing him to the seat next to Scarlett's. He said nothing, too shaky to even move. "Is there a Luke Hemmings?" Ms. Hesse asked, looking up from her seating chart. He again didn't respond, until a friend of his nudged him. Luke stumbled forward, the entire class watching him. Ms. Hesse moved on to the next row, and they lost interest in him. Except for Scarlett, who, as he sat at his assigned desk, smiled at him.

Mostly, all she wanted to do was get to know her ex neighbor with the hypnotizing voice and musical talents. She never planned what would happen next. She never planned to lead him on.

 


	5. Chapter 5

_**When I'm ready for a change,**_  

_**I'll let you know.** _

_**When I'm ready for a change,** _

**_I'll let you go._**  

**_d.e._ **

 

**Sydney, Australia**

The bell rang, ending the period. Ms. Hesse dismissed the class cheerfully, skipping back to her desk to check her phone (where she found a lovely _good luck today_ text from her girlfriend), as her students tiredly packed away their things and made way to their next class. Scarlett did so quickly, glancing at Luke from the corner of her eye, and noticing how he seemed to be in no rush. She stood, looped her backpack over one shoulder, and walked a step towards the door before she changed her mind and turned around, just as Luke had stood up. They met gazes, and for a moment, neither one of them moved.

"You, um - " Scarlett started awkwardly, her face reddening beneath her makeup. "You have a really nice voice." 

Luke cracked a smile at this. For the first time since he was ten, he felt as if the tables had turned. Here she was, Scarlett Grey, flabbergasted as she attempted to talk to Luke instead of the other way around. He felt very flattered, and a little cocky. 

She must have misread his expression. "That must've come out kinda weird, but," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Luke thought, _my God, she's beautiful._ "We used to be neighbors, and I used to hear you sometimes. You just have a really good voice, and I thought you'd like to know."

He chuckled a little, and responded with his best smile, "Thank you." With a sudden burst of confidence, he motioned for her to walk with him, and by some strike of luck, she did. "How's your dog doing?" 

Each day following, the two could be seen between fifth and sixth period, walking together to their next classes (in the same hall, luckily) having some of the most involved conversations they'd ever had with someone, putting some of the most boring topics into the most interesting discussions. They'd smile at each other in the hallways and exchange _hello_ s or _good morning_ s. With each partner project, they'd group together not only for the convenience of not having to move very far, but because they worked well together, and enjoyed their time together.

It was like a dream come true for Luke - it was one step closer to what he'd wanted since ten years old. Scarlett was happy, too - she was finally becoming friends with the person who had unknowingly helped her through some of the toughest times of her life. 

Just as the holidays started to come around (Christmas for Luke; Hanukkah for Scarlett) Scarlett had finally begun to feel normal again. She had her adorable little half brother, Vincent. She had her stepdad Hank, who was really becoming a positive influence in her life. She had her mother, who was really, truly happy for the first time in a long time. She had her ginormous, bear-like dog Baloo, who was really just a big teddy bear. She had Charli, who was always by her side, and who knew some of her darkest sides. She had Evie, who, despite the cancer, was a ray of sunshine in Scarlett's life. And she had Luke, her new friend from Music Appreciation. 

And now she had her phone in one hand, and a letter in her other. _Start Your Travels Now!_ it was titled, and underneath was a collage of famous monuments - the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, Big Ben, the Great Wall of China, even the Hollywood sign - all places Scarlett had dreamed about when she was a kid. When thinking of college, she had planned to go to the local four-year, and take a year to study abroad, but now, with this letter in her hand, and a disconnected phone number that used to be her father's, Scarlett was suddenly thinking a little differently. _He moved a thousand miles away,_ she thought. _Screw it. I'll move ten thousand._


	6. Chapter 6

_**I'll see Paris, I'll see France,** _

_**I'll leave here when I get the chance.** _

_**d.e.** _

 

 **Sydney, Australia**  

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

Scarlett, in the middle of writing an essay for her Literature class, curiously looked up to find her mother in her doorway, holding her daughter's acceptance letter in her hand. She held a stern look towards her daughter, but Scarlett could see the redness of her eyes. She had been crying. 

"Did you - " exasperated Scarlett, pushing her laptop off of her lap, _"open - ?"_

"Yes, I opened it. You're my daughter. I have the right to know what's going on in your life," Maria Jensen spoke defensively, looking as if she were about to explode on her daughter. There hasn't been this much tension between the two of them since the divorce, and Scarlett found herself wanting to do nothing but ease that tension (the last time they had been in a fight, the house was silent for almost a week). "What _is_ this?" she cried, holding up the letter once again. Even from this distance, Scarlett could recognize the crest of Sapienza University of Rome.

She cautiously got to her feet, her bare feet cold against the hardwood. "Mom - " 

"What the hell happened to going to University of Sydney? You can't seriously be considering - "

 _"Mom,"_ Scarlett spoke, her hands on her mother's shoulder, and finally getting her to look her in the eye. "Please, let me explain."

So she explained. The two sat on Scarlett's bed, her acceptance letter dauntingly sitting atop her desk on the other side of the room (she glanced at it frequently, still not having read it yet). She explained the letter she had gotten a couple months ago, and her anger towards her father for leaving. She expressed how she had taken it a step further, and had applied to Sapienza out of spite, but as she had thought more and more about, didn't regret it in the slightest. She couldn't walk the streets of this town without thinking of her father, a thousand miles away, or her cousin, even further, or what had occurred to take Shelly away from them. She was tired of it. She was tired of Sydney, of Australia. She wanted to start over somewhere where she didn't feel trapped. 

It took a lot of convincing, but she had finally gotten her mother on her side. She understood - she wanted to seriously hurt her ex-husband, but she understood. The session had ended with the both of them in tears, hugging one another, and little Vincent looking in, completely confused. The two had laughed as Maria stood to help her son get ready for his ballet lesson. Just after the two had left the room, Maria had popped back in to tell Scarlett something that would literally change her life. 

"By the way, you got in." 

The next day, Scarlett was horribly regretting her decision not to tell anyone about applying to Sapienza. And to make matters worse, she had been accepted to begin in the spring, which, in Rome, was only about a month away. She was so excited, and so proud of herself for taking this opportunity and actually benefiting from it, but she was terrified of the backlash she would receive. It had been bad with her mother, with whom things are _never_ badly received. What she was really worried about was Evie, who was depending on her to stick around. This would break her heart.

Charli, seemingly distracted with her own issues (also regarding a college on the other side of the world), didn't seem to notice Scarlett's uneasiness throughout the day, which Scarlett was grateful for. She'd much rather tell her friends at the same time, and get it all out at once. But, never the best at keeping secrets, she found herself anxiously dreading the inevitable, and come fifth period, she was dying to tell someone, just to get it off her chest. 

She was looking at Luke now, the sunlight from the classroom windows holding him in an elegant exposure. Their desks were pushed together, as they often were, but the two of them weren't talking. Ms. Hesse had a substitute today (she and her girlfriend had taken an extended vacation), so the class was really just a study hall. Luke was concentrated on the worksheet in front of him (some sort of foreign language, it looked to be German), and Scarlett was supposed to be reading, but she couldn't concentrate, of course. "Hey, Luke?" she questioned. Luke quickly looked up at her, feeling a brief rush, as he always seemed to when she said his name, even after their months of friendship. 

"Yeah?" he responded, his voice soft, gentle. 

"What are you plans for after school?" Scarlett questioned bluntly. For a minute, Luke thought she was about to ask him out, and he felt like his ten-year-old self again, but then she continued. "You know, after graduation." 

"Oh," said Luke, slightly deflated, looking down. She didn't even notice. "I haven't really thought about it much. I mean, I kinda want to try to get somewhere with my band, you know, start playing gigs, maybe come out with some of our own music, I don't know. Is that dumb?" Suddenly remembering that Scarlett was practically the top of their class, Luke became very insecure. He should probably be going to Uni or something. 

Scarlett was shaking her head reassuringly. "No, Luke, that's _awesome_. Don't ever think following your dreams is dumb. Most people don't have the courage to do that."

His spirits lifted, Luke blushed a little at her support. He smiled again, looking down at his desk for a moment. He turned back to Scarlett. "What about you?" 

She looked at him without speaking. This is where she had intended the conversation to go, but now that the question had actually been spoken, she suddenly didn't want to answer. "I - I, uh - " Scarlett murmured, looking down at her own desk. "I was thinking of traveling." 

"Where were you thinking of going? Up north?" Luke questioned curiously. 

She almost laughed in spite of his question, knowing he was probably referring to Brisbane or Gold Coast. "Something like that."


End file.
